Apple’s Diversity Numbers Remain Stagnant

Apple’s workforce is still predominately White and male.

As tech companies in Silicon Valley strive to make their workforces more diverse, many of them have remained stagnant when it comes to progression. One of those companies is Apple.

Apple’s workforce is still predominately White and male, reports Recode.

Apple has made statements about advocating for diversity in the tech industry. “The most diverse group will produce the best product, I firmly believe that,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “If you believe as we believe that diversity leads to better products, and we’re all about making products that enrich people’s lives, then you obviously put a ton of energy behind diversity the same way you would put a ton of energy behind anything else that is truly important.”

But the newly released figures prove otherwise.

The data, which was released by the company, shows that out of 107 high-level executives, only 20 are women. When it comes to racial diversity, the numbers are worse. There are only five executives who identify as Black, Latino or Native American and 14 executives who are Asian compared to 88 White executives. Over 65 percent of mid-level managers are White compared to only 11 percent who are from culturally diverse backgrounds. Apple is claiming that the figures can’t be used to illustrate its progress when it comes to diversity. The company says that the EEOC data isn’t reflective of how it assembles its workforce.

Despite the stagnant numbers, Apple saw a rise in the number of minorities at the company, the report says.There was 27 percent of minorities and 37 percent of women who landed jobs with the company.

Although the numbers of women and people of color are low within the company, Apple still remains one of the leading tech businesses when it comes to employing individuals from those groups.

During an interview in 2015, Apples HR chief Denise Young Smith shared that the diversity issue would take time to change, reports CNET. She said the “diversity challenge … didn’t happen overnight so it’s not going to be changed overnight.” She also added, “The long-term aspect of it is what I hope people start to really internalize and understand.”